August 01, 2012 - Addison Township will have two new candidates for trustee on the November ballot.

Terry Stevens and Sereal Gravlin announced their candidacy by the 4 p.m. July 20 deadline. Both have filed as non-party affiliated candidates.

Terry William Stevens, 39, is the current owner of the Bear Paw Cafe in Lakeville.

Gravlin, who ran for township supervisor and lost in 2008, could not be reached for comment.

Gravlin does have a criminal record. In 1987, he was convicted of felonious assault for threatening his mother with a butcher knife and spent a year in the Oakland County Jail. In 2009, he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, which is a felony. For that, he was sentenced to six months probation.

Stevens said he was "born and raised in Lakeville" and is running for the Trustee position because he can "see where Lakeville has come to from where it was . . . and some things that have not been addressed need to be addressed."

For Stevens, the trustee's role is to give voice to ideas and positions not being heard in the township. The status quo can become too comfortable for the general welfare of the community, Stevens believes, and he wishes to be the one to bring those new ideas to the table, ideally for "the progress of the community."

Stevens praised the current Addison board because they are focused on "trying to boost businesses (in order) to . . . bring people out to the community." He's personally thankful the Board has recently taken "into consideration issues related to the Bear Paw Cafe (and for having) approved . . . various things that the Bear Paw has requested they approve." Stevens is referring to the Board's recent motion to allow beer delivery on the Lake.

He praises the foresight of the Board, noting that their decisions indicate they "have seen the pros of allowing certain things to draw community and therefore also draw additional people out to Lakeville Lake which also in turn draws people to other businesses in Lakeville."

Despite his approval of the board's business friendly vision, Stevens feels there remains room for improvement.

Stevens pointed to hazardous and unkempt buildings in the area he'd like the board to address. He also mentioned a few concerns with Addison roads that "the township should discuss in order to bring it to the attention of the County."

Specifically, Stevens is concerned about the affect ill-maintained gravel will have for the safety to bikers, an important group of commuters on the paved and unpaved roads of Addison. Since so many "gravel roads are not maintained way out here, that can be part of additional conversations with Oakland County," Stevens said, a conversation he'll gladly take part in should he be elected.

In his run for township trustee, Stevens has not affiliated himself with either of the two major political parties.

His reasons for remaining independent of partisan pigeonholes is that there "are certain traditional ways from both parties that I disagree with, though there are ways from each party that I do agree with."

Stevens considers himself "an independent. . . . I think that the independent role can bring, if not both parties, (at least) ideas from each party to meet in the middle and work on things."